Protective means for heating furnace fronts



Patented Aug. 19, 1947 PROTECTIVE MEANS FDR HEATING FURNACE FRONTS Louis E. Deloghia, Agawam, Mass, assignor to Perkins Machine and Gear Company, West Springfield, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 23, 1945, Serial No. 595,315

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in heating furnaces such as furnaces for the heat treatment of metals. The principal objects of the invention are the provision in a heat treating furnace to guide means for the openings thereof and is accomplished by the provision of a novel combination and arrangement of parts to facilitate the ready and easy removal by the workmen of parts being treated.

With the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a furnace embodying the novel features of the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a partial side elevational view of the furnace shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

A front wall 2 of a furnace has an opening 4 therein through which objects to be heated are inserted in and withdrawn from a compartment. The furnace may be fired in the ordinary manner as by gas, oil or the like and in the usual case the compartment will be lined with refractory material such as fire-brick or the like.

A door 6 is slidable up and down over the front wall 2 of the furnace and relative to the opening 4. As in the usual construction chains represented by 8 extend from the door which pass over wheels I that are connected to mechanism not shown for raising and lowerin the door. The door may, of course, be moved up and down in any desired manner. The wheels I0 are secured to a shaft l2 which i rotatable in bearings M of plates l4 secured to the upper side of the furnace.

An apron 24 is provided which has side guide members 26 secured thereto and extending upwardly therefrom. Brackets 30 are secured to the members I4 and extend outwardly therefrom. Links 32 are pivoted at their upper ends to said members 30 as at 34.

Bars 36 secured to the guides 26 extend outwardly therefrom and the said links 32 are pivoted at 38 thereto. Cam members 40 are secured to the lower ends of the door 6 and may take any form desired. The apron plate 24 and guide member 26 will preferably be made from sheet metal and the upper ends of the guide members 26 extend outwardly and away from the furnace as shown in Fig. 2/

As the door 6 is moved upwardly from the position shown to uncover the openin 4 or a portion thereof the links facilitate swinging of the guide plate 24 inwardly. As the door 6 is moved downwardly providing its lower edge is above the upper edge of the guide plates 26, the cams 40 act on the upper ends of the guide plates 25 to cam the apron 24 outwardly so that the door may slide between the apron 24 and forward face 2 of the furnace.

The upper edge 25 of apron 24 is arranged so as to be substantially in line with the lower side of the opening 4 and the guide members 26 are located so their adjacent inner edges 27 are disposed inwardly of the sides of the said opening 4.

Thus with the door moved upwardly to an open position, the inner sides of the guides 26 and theupper edge of the apron 24 serve to guide the bars used by the workmen in inserting pieces of work into the furnace. Instead of the bars being moved across the edges of the furnace opening which destroys the lining, the edges 25 and 21 of the members 24 and 26 guide the barsaway from the sides of the furnace opening thereby to protect the lining.

Ordinarily the fire-brick lining around the opening in a furnace is subject to chipping breakage and great wear in the operation of the furnace which is caused principally by the bars or tongs which workmen use in withdrawing work from and inserting it in the furnace.

The apron and guides of this invention protect the lining and at the same time the apron serves as a deflector against heat from the furnace.

The apron and guide construction is automatic in its operation in that as the door moves to its uppermost position, the apron may swing inwardl while when the door is moved downwardly the apron, through the guides and cams on the door, is moved outwardly .to the position shown.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of th United States is:

1. The combination of a furnace having an opening in the front face thereof and ,a door slidable vertically on said face between apofiition over said opening and a position upwardly and away therefrom with protective means for the lower and opposite adjacent sides of said opening comprising, a plate construction including a transverse bottom plate extending across said front wall below said opening and side guide plates extending upwardly from opposite ends of said plate, and pivotal -connections between said plate construction and said furnace swingably mounting said plate constructionon a horizontal aXis above said opening for "swinging movements of the platev construction towards and away from said front face, said plate construction adapted .to be engaged by and swung outwardly by the [door .as it slides downwardly over said opening and .to :be released by the door as it slides upwardly from over .said ,opening .so as to swing into engagement with the saigl front face.

2. The combination .of a furnace having van opening ,in the front face thereof and a door slidable vertically on said face betweena position over said opening -a position upwardly and away therefrom with protective m ans for the lower and opposite adjacent sides-of said opening comprising, a plate construction including a'transverse plate extending across said front wall .belowsaid opening and side guide plates extending upwardly from opposite ends of said plate, andJinks pivotally connected ,at lower ends to opposite ends of .the plateconstruction and-at upper .ends -to ,the furnace ,on horizontal axes above said opening and parallel to said face to facilitate swinging movementsof the ,plate construtiontowards andaway from said face, said plate construotion adapted to be engaged by and swung outwardly 'by the door as it slidesdownwardlyover .said opening and to be released by the door as it slides upwardly from over said opening s01 as-to swingintoengagernent'withsaid front face.

3. The combination of a furnace having an opening in the front face thereof and a 'door slidabl v rt al ,o sa fac b e n? positio over 'saidopening and a position upwardly and away therefrom with protective'means for the lower an'd opposite adjacent sides of saidopening 4 comprising, a plate construction including a transverse plate extending across said front wall below said opening and side guide plates extending upwardly from opposite ends of said plate, and links pivotally connected at lower ends to opposite ends of the plate construction and at upper ends to the furnace on horizontal axes above said opening and parallel to said face to facilitate swinging movements of the plate construction towards and away from said face, said door on its lower edge provided with cam members adapted as the door slides to position over said opening to engage th upper end of said side plates ,of the plate construction and swing said construction outwardly away from said front face.

4. The combination of a furnace having an opening in the front face thereof and a door slidable vertically on said face between a position over said opening and a position upwardly and away therefrom with protective means for the lower and opposite adjacent s'idespf said opening comprising, ,a plate construction including .a transverse rplate extending across .said frontlwall below said'opening and side .guide plates .extending upwardly from opposite ends of said .plate, and links pivotally connected at lower ,ends .to opposite ends .of the plate construction and at upper ends to the furnace on horizontal laxes above said opening and parallel to said face "to facilitate swinging movements of vthe .plate construction .towardsand away from said face, .said dooron its lower ,edge provided with cam members adapted as .the door slides downwardly to position over said opening to engage the upper end of said .side plates of the plate construction and swing saidconstruction.o'utwardlyaway from said front face, the upper edge of ,said transverse plate being in substantial alignment withthe lower wall of .the opening and adjacent inner edgesof said side plates.dispose'dinwardly of the side walls of the opening.

LOUIS DELQG l-l la. REFERENCES ICITED The following references are of recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Numb Nam "D t 34 x982 Heg :Jan. :16. :1934 1,050,677 Mitchell Jan.:l 4.;1913 1,819,467 ;Jones ;Aug. 138, 193,1 ,,5, ,5 B ad An i-2 9 

